Thursday, January 28, 2010

In the 80's TV show Misfits of Science, Elvin Lincoln was a scientist that was born with an overactive pituitary gland. He was 6 ft tall when he entered the 7th grade and ultimately grew to 7'4". He went on to study his condition and found a way to temporarily reduce the size of animals using a serum he created. He later created an artificial gland that he put in the back of his own neck. When pressed, the gland secreted the serum into his body, allowing him to shrink down to the size of action figure, somewhere less than a foot tall. This transformation was temporary and lasted for about 15 minutes.

In the show, much was made of the character's awkwardness. He had social challenges and even though he was tall and Black, he was no good at basketball. He was a genius but not very confident in himself. This went along with the theme of the show which had a lot of comedy. Another challenge for El was that even though he could shrink, his clothes couldn't so he would have to bring along clothes from some kind of doll or action figure so he wouldn't be running around as a tiny naked guy. Later, when he would return to his normal size, he had to find his original clothes again. He would usually be called upon to shrink so he could help the team get into or out of places they could do otherwise.

Again this show came out in the 80's so it was great to see a Black character as a scientist back then, even if he was a bit of a bumbler. The character was depicted as kind and non-threatening even though he was a lot taller than everyone else. His power wasn't all that cool but I liked him anyway. The series lasted for only 16 episodes, the last of which was never aired. Still, I remember this show fondly and tried never to miss an episode. Here's the trailer:

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Dwayne McDuffie has a new Facebook fan page and among the new content he has offerred up a sneak peek at the cover of Milestone Forever #1 which will be on sale February 3rd. He had this to say about it: "This book wraps up the continuity of the original Milestone Universe characters HARDWARE, STATIC, ICON and BLOOD SYNDICATE, reunites me with original Milestone artists Denys Cowan, John Paul Leon, MD Bright, and Chrisscross -and sets the stage for Milestone's future in the DC Universe. I originally wrote it 13 years ago!"

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Our good friends in Australia must have seen fit to share the Black Panther animated series with us. It just premiered there this past weekend and it's already on YouTube. Better check it out before they take it down. Here are some of the names involved with the project:

Writer & Executive Producer: Reginald Hudlin

T'Challa: Djimon Hounsou

Storm: Jill Scott

Princess Shuri: Kerry Washington

Queen Mother: Alfre Woodard

Both of the first two episodes are already online and there are Marvel Superhero guest stars in each. Here's the synopsis:Episode One:In a top-secret Washington meeting, Intelligence Agent Everett Ross briefs the government on the history of the Black Panther, the warrior king of the African nation, Wakanda. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, the Black Panther must compete to defend his throne in hand-to-hand combat. Featuring the voices of Djimon Hounsou, Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard and Jill Scott.Episode Two: Having been crowned the new Black Panther, T'Challa must contend with jealousy in the royal court while searching for the man who murdered his father. Unbeknownst to him, a deadly assassin named Klaw is assembling a team of super-villains to attack Wakanda.

What do I think of it? I love it of course. It's got some motion comic elements in it but they're done nicely enough. The story is great. The voices are great. What's not to like? Check it out for yourself:

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The newest clip from the upcoming animated movie Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths grovides a quick look at an evil Black Lightning and what looks like an evil version of Vixen. I hope they actually get speaking roles. Have a look.:

Sunday, January 17, 2010

As many of you know, the Black Panther animated series aired this weekend in Australia. I've been scouring the Internet looking for clips or possibly even a copy of the two episodes. It kills me that we have to wait for the show to air here in the U.S., and until when? Anyway, here's the official blurb: "Deep in the heart of Africa lies Wakanda, an advanced and unconquerable civilization. A family of warrior-kings possessing superior speed, strength and agility has governed this mysterious nation as long as time itself. The latest in this famed line is young King T'Challa, the great hero known worldwide as the Black Panther."

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I can't say I've been a fan of The Super Hero Squad Show as it's geared towards little kids and often really silly but when I heard the Heroes for Hire would be on an episode I figured I'd give it a try. As well as the usual good guys, this episode also stars Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Iron Fist. Luke Cage is voiced nicely by Lil JJ. In fact, the character is quite likable. Too bad he's only a guest star. Misty Knight is voiced by Tamera Mowry. The team even teams up with the Falcon, a series regular voiced by Alimi Ballard, in this episode. Thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can see the first part of the episode right here. I'm interested in what you think of it so sound off in the comments.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Raje: A Superhero, The Bold Beginning of a New Era. You won't find this Black Superheroine in a comic book or animated series. That's because her depiction is a series of artworks by photography artist Renée Cox. In this case, the artist is the work as each depiction of Raje is a photo of herself. Ms Cox is an accomplished artist and her work, which speaks for itself, has seen the inside of many galleries across the nation. Raje is only a portion of her artistic contributions and I celebrate both the work and the woman who brought it into being. You can view more images of Raje and more of the bold work of Renée Cox on her official website.